Farmers from J&K join protesters at Haryana border

A group of farmers from Jammu and Kashmir joined the ongoing agitation on the Haryana-Rajasthan border on Saturday

A group of farmers from Jammu and Kashmir joined the ongoing agitation on the Haryana-Rajasthan border on Saturday. Farmers said that were not deterred by the plummeting temperatures and preparing for January 26, when they plan to hold a parallel Republic Day parade.

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Farmers from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been camping at Jaisinghpur Khera, located near Shahjahanpur in Alwar district for the past 29 days. Farmers have been protesting against the three new farm laws, which were passed by the Centre in September last year. They fear that the new laws will leave them at the mercy of big corporations and end the minimum support price (MSP) for important crops.

Sanjay Madhav, member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha—the umbrella body of farmer unions protesting at Delhi’s borders— and the state convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee in Rajasthan, said that a contingent of farmers from Jammu and Kashmir had joined the agitation on Saturday. “Farmers from various states and union territories such as Jammu and Kashmir are joining us. Activist Medha Patkar had also joined us on Saturday to extend support to farmers and motivate them. The government might think that farmers will back down but our resolve only grows with each passing day,” said Madhav.

He said that farmers were facing difficulties in procuring supplies since the Haryana Police had placed restrictions and closed a slip lane that was being used by farmers earlier. “On the Haryana end, the police have placed trucks and containers. A slip road that we were using has been closed now. So, vehicles ferrying our supplies can’t reach us easily. We are trying to source our supplies from Rajasthan,” said Madhav.

Rajesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of Bawal, had earlier said that while the protesting farmers were not being allowed to cross the border, the allegations of the police stopping supplies were baseless.